Romantic Bulging Names and Muscles

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 51, 30 June 1933, Page 12

Romantic

Bulging

Names and

Muscles

Wrestling Rises to ropular Heights In New Zealand —

-Helped by Such Renowned Matmen as Count Varga and Whiskers Blake

COUNT JOSEPH WILHELM VARGA does not like talking about himself. The Radio Record representative who broke in on the Count’s lunch-hour at the Hotel St. George in Wellington soon discovered this, but he was rewarded by a glimpse of other days and other ways in the wrestling arena. But, although he had objections to talking about himself, the Count indicated ways and means of procuring a biographical note or two. It would seem that this hefty Hungarian wrestler is related to the Royal Family of Austria and that the Archduke Ferdinand, before his death, looked upon the Count: as an excellent soldier. He saw four years of active service during the Great War, and was decorated for bravery before retiring to a small Italian villa to recuperate. A trip to Paris followed, and here’s the story of how the Count started his wrestling career. A crowd surging round a tent at a small fair on the outskirts of the French capital attracted the strolling nobleman’s attention. He discovered that a young man was demonstrating his weight-lifting ability and challenging all comers. He was Henry de Glane, and he was offering 10 francs to anyone who could stay the racket for ten minutes without having his shoulders pinned to the mat. After watching several performances the challenge was taken up by the Count, who stepped into the ring dressed in morning clothes and a silk hat. ° The Count and de Glane wrestled for 10 minutes without either of them securing’ a: fall and, by this

time, the crowd was worked up to fever-pitch. At the end of the 10 minutes there was loud clamouring for a further exhibition, and this was granted with the same result-no fall. A manager of wrestlers was quickly on the scent after this exhibition, and it was not long before Count Varga was signed up to appear in several American arenas. A lot of interest was aroused by the American Press in his first bout, but he disposed of his opponent in four minutes! Since then the Count has met many wrestling celebrities-Gus Sonnenberg, Nick Lutz, Ad Santel, Ed Don George, Charlie Strack-and can claim to have triumphed over many of them. LET the person who imagines that wrestling is a new sport have his ideas dispelled. It dates back to the time when the years were counted backwards and B.C. was the customary prefix. Wrestling is one of the oldest of organised contests, but every now and again there rises a generation that knows nothing about the sport, and a clever showman seizes on the idea of exploiting it for the benefit of the public-and his own pocket. A boom in England 30 years ago was brought about by good publicity and large prices were paid for ringside seats. New Zealand, at the present time, is experiencing just such a boom and many are the muscular gentlemen with romantic names who are flocking down to this little corner of the earth. Not only had ancient wrestling its recognised "wild men," but the spectators nicknamed them because of their methods. One man whose name appears to have been handed down through the centuries on account of his toughness was Sastraus the Sicyonian, who had the habit of seizing an opponent’s fingers and gradually > bending them back till he broke them if his opponent did not givein. He scored 12 victories at the Isthmus and Nemaea, three at the Olympic and. two at the Pythian Games. A tough egg was Sostratus, and because of his methods: the spectators, who took more trouble with their witticisms than do spectators to-day, laughingly labelled him Acrochersites. Leontiscus the Sicilian was another grappler of the same period who adopted similar methods to those of Sostratus. The Anglo-Saxons knew plenty about wrestling but, after the arrival of William the Conqueror, the sport was in the discard and was not seriously revived until the time of the Tudors, the story being told that Henry the Eighth could throw a man with ease. " (Whether he practised on any of his numerous wives is not mentioned.) That it must have grown considerably in favour in later times is shown by the fact that the champions of the north and west met in a match in St. James’s Park in February, 1669, in a match for £1000, the latter winning, The sport declined ‘after

the early part of the eighteenth century. Early in the nineteenth century an effort to revive it was made, not very successfully. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, however, wrestling was going strong in America, and at the beginning of the twentieth century it became immensely popular in England, showmanship being exploited to give crowded houses the thrills the fans wanted. , It was at this time that the super-promoter, C. B. Cochran, took up wrestling, and he was chiefly responsible for the tremendous boom that followed. In Paris he saw for the first time a young Russian named Georges Hackenschmidt who was competing in a world wrestling championship, and when Hackenschmidt later went to London Cochran met him, became his agent, and secured for him a contract for a trial week at the Tivoli at £70 a week. The house record for receipts was broken that week, and the wrestler was given a further four weeks’ engagement at £150 a week.

WITH Hackenschmidt enjoying a nation-wide popularity wrestlers began to appear from_ other countries-the "Terrible Turk," or, to give him his right name, Antonio Pierri, came to. England with a fellow-countryman, Madrali, who also became, known as the "Terrible Turk." After some negotiations Madrali and Hackenschmidt were matched at Olympi2 and the crowd was tremendous. When the gong sounded Hackenschmidt rushed at his opponent, picked him up and dashed him.down. The match was over, for the not-so-terrible Turk lay on the mat with both arms broken! It is about four years since the wrestling fever hit New Zealand, for the past 12 months wrestlers have been pouring into the Dominion, and, in the case of some, have received almost as much hero-worship as matinee idols. Auckland was the first place conquered, then Wellington-and finally the South Island. _ All-in wrestling made a bad start in Christchurch. When it was first gaining its feet in Auckland, and it was known that the famous Russian grappler Al Karasick was in the Dominion the public of Christchurch was informed that an open-air contest would be held at English Park Stadium between Karasick, "The Russian Lion," and a local man. The contest drew only a small crowd, and it turned out a farce, finishing in an early round when one of the contestants retired with an injured knee. For an exhibition by the great Al Karasick it was the poorest thing imaginable, and a local newspaper decided, to probe the visitor’s credentials,’ It

ran across a man who not only knew Karasick, but also knew that the Russian could not possibly have been in Christchurch that night! So the first "all-in" bout; although it was only a "take-in" bout, provided Christchurch with a sensation. The principals folded up their tents and faded away. THIS season those responsible for importing the grapplers to New Zealand have brought to the Dominion men of a much better class than most of their predecessors, huge men with a much better appreciation of the art of showmanship. The old gesturing and grimacing and attitudinising of the earlier matches has been toned down, and spills provide the thrills. Theatricalism is inextricably bound up with wrestling that the imported professionals are providing for the public at present. Cochran’s maxim that "The public wants a show" applies equally to the matches arranged in the Dominion as it did to the old music-hall stunts of 30 years ago. ° 7m Walker and Alley, by residing in New Zealand for some time, have done much to popularise wrestling in the Dominion. They were outstanding, but it appears that the associations are now promoting with men of their class, and for that reason the entertainment provided has improved considerably. As the wrestling is presented at present it is nothing more or less than entertainment. There appear to be no rules except a few prohibitions; nothing, for instance, to stop a man bumping and battering his opponent till he is groggy and easily pinned.